Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer [12", LP]

I've got a couple of albums by RED SPAROWES and this one, THE FEAR IS EXCRUCIATING, BUT THEREIN LIES THE ANSWER is their latest. It originates from 2010. The Sargent House label released it in the States, and over here in Europe it was released on Conspiracy Records. That's the version i have. The band consists of members from various other bands, of which Isis is the best known. And if i'd have to describe the band's sound i would say it's like an instrumental version of Isis. Or maybe: Isis-light. No big riffs, no dramatic vocals except for a some choir-like ones here in the last two songs. Epic stuff. First pressing on black vinyl, 1400 made.

Label: Conspiracy Records
Cat.nr.: CORE088
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Truths Arise
02. In Illusions Of Order
03. A Hall Of Bombs
04. Giving Birth To Imagined Saviors

SIDE B:
01. A Swarm
02. In Every Mind
03. A Mutiny
04. As Each End Looms And Subsides

The Raveonettes - Into The Night [2x7"]

About a year after their Raven In The Grave album, THE RAVEONETTES release a double 7" in a gatefold sleeve: INTO THE NIGHT. It's got 4 new songs and it really makes you want them to release another full length soon, 'cause these are all great. Bad Ghosts is probably my favourite one though, if i'd have to choose. Absolutely lovely stuff.


Label: The Orchard
Cat.nr.: RAV00002-7
Year of release: 2012


SIDE A:
01. Into The Night

SIDE B:
01. Night Comes Out

SIDE C:
01. Too Close To Heartbreak

SIDE D:
01. Bad Ghosts

A Place To Bury Strangers - Worship [12", LP]

Last month i saw A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS in Amsterdam; it was the show where i bought the Ego Death 2010 tour EP. They were playing some songs of their new album WORSHIP as well, which was not released yet at the time. Great songs so i was sure to buy this album when it came out two weeks ago. Compared to their previous two full lengths (A Place To Bury Strangers and Exploding Head), this new album sounds a little more polished. Not necessarily a bad thing in my eyes. One of my friends said he misses that "vacuum cleaner sound" of the other albums a bit; and maybe that describes it best. Don't expect an easy-listening album though. A really nice piece of noise/shoegaze, even when the guitar wall-of-sound isn't as thick as it used to be.


Label: Dead Oceans
Cat.nr.: DOC 066
Year of release: 2012


SIDE A:
01. Alone
02. You Are The One
03. Mind Control
04. Worship
05. Fear
06. Why Can't I Cry Anymore

SIDE B:
01. Dissolved
02. Revenge
03. And I'm Up
04. Slide
05. Leaving Tomorrow

Dead Mellotron - Glitter [12", LP]

The moment i heard a song from this album online, i knew i just had to get my hands on a copy. Never heard of this band before, but DEAD MELLOTRON already previously released 2 albums (Ghost Light Constellation and s/t). This, their third album GLITTER, is their first vinyl release. The album comes in a beautiful sleeve with glittering gold letters, and it’s on clear vinyl. Limited to only 200 copies apparently! Plus it has a download code for the album; always a nice plus. A beautiful dreampop/shoegaze gem on the label that celebrates itself, Sonic Cathedral. Those people never cease to amaze me with their awesome releases.

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR045
Year of Release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Stranger
02. Can't See
03. Bye
04. Making Up

SIDE B:
01. Babe
02. Oohahh
03. Dying

Nadja - Truth Becomes Death [12", 2LP]

In 2008, Conspiracy Records had the amazing plan to release 3 NADJA albums on vinyl that were previously only released on CD, on Alien8 Records. All in new artwork: awesome nature pictures by Seldon Hunt (known from his great work for bands like Earth, Isis and Jesu) for the inner sleeves, and embossed die-cut outer sleeves. Besides that they all have an etching on side D. Unfortunately i never managed to get my hands on Touched so far, but i'm happy enough to own both Radiance Of Shadows and TRUTH BECOMES DEATH. This album is originally from 2005 and Conspiracy pressed 200 on white and 550 on black vinyl. My copy is a black one. Three sides, three tracks of shoegaze/drone/post-metal. Awesome stuff.

The etching on this LP shows a forest:

Label: Conspiracy Records

Cat.nr.: CORE 065

Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:

01. Bug/Golem

SIDE B:

01. Memory Leak

SIDE C:

01. Breakpoint

SIDE D:

etching

M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts [12", 2LP]

A classic M83 album, this DEAD CITIES, RED SEAS & LOST GHOSTS. Their second album, from the time when Nicolas Fromageau was still in the band (and Morgan Kibby wasn't yet). It features the singles Run Into Flowers, 0078h and America, plus the 17 minute long title track that is not on the CD version (elsewehere to be found only on the America 12" maxi).
There definitely are some really great tracks on this album (Gone being my favourite) but i prefer the warmer and richer sound his later albums have, and in general: songs with vocals. This is mainly instrumental stuff. But a must have for any M83 fan or actually anyone who wants to check out how this band developed over the years.

Label: Mute
Cat.nr.: 9251-1
Year of release: 2003

SIDE A:
01. Birds
02. Unrecorded
03. Run Into Flowers
04. In Church

SIDE B:
01. Be Wild
02. America
03. On A White Lake, Near A Green Mountain
04. Noise

SIDE C:
01. Cyborg
02. 0078h
03. Gone
04. Beauties Can Die

SIDE D:
01. Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts

School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire [12”, 2LP]

The second full length by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS was released in 2010. My copy is of the European pressing on grey/black marbled vinyl on Full Time Hobby; in the USA it was released on Vagrant and that edition was white/black marbled. Compared to their first album Alpinisms, DISCONNECT FROM DESIRE is more danceable and pop-orientated. More rhythmic, if you want. After SVIIB having released 3 albums at the time I’m writing this, I think it’s only fair to say that this is my least favourite one. Certainly not a bad album but for some reason the magic of Alpinisms disappeared a little with Disconnect From Desire as far as i'm concerned. I’m glad they got it back with Ghostory, which was released a few months ago.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH094LP
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Windstorm
02. Heart Is Strange
03. Dust Devil

SIDE B:
01. I L U
02. Babelonia

SIDE C:
01. Joviann
02. Camarilla

SIDE D:
01. Dial
02. Bye Bye Bye
03. The Wait

Esben And The Witch - Chorea [12"]

This 12" by ESBEN AND THE WITCH was released for Record Store Day 2011, as a limited edition. Title track CHOREA comes from their excellent Violet Cries LP, while the original version of Corridors appeared on their "33 EP". That version was already 9 minutes long, but this one takes twice as much and is much different than the original. It was used as a soundtrack for Karl Sadler's indoor forest installation "Corridor" at the Creators Project.
Last but not least it features a Mogwai remix of the song Eumenides. A nice reinterpretation with a lot of electronic beats.

Label: Matador
Cat.nr.: OLE-9561
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Chorea
02. Eumenides ( Mogwai Remix)

SIDE B:
01. Corridors Installation

Cocteau Twins - Echoes In A Shallow Bay [12"]

ECHOES IN A SHALLOW BAY was released two weeks after the Tiny Dynamine EP. Both 12"s have complementary artwork and were recorded during the same session, between the Treasure and Victorialand albums. A great EP from what i personally think is COCTEAU TWINS' best period.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: BAD511
Year of release: 1985

SIDE A: 
01. Great Spangled Fritillary
02. Melonella

SIDE B:
01. Pale Clouded White
02. Eggs And Their Shells

I Break Horses - Hearts [12", LP]

This debut album HEARTS by I BREAK HORSES was released at the end of summer last year and is one of my favourite albums of 2011. This Swedish band (a duo actually; Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck) came up with a great album filled with electronic shoegaze/dreampop/chillwave. Some songs remind me a bit of Cocteau Twins; undefinable vocals over dreamy soundscapes. But then most of the times with a solid electronic beat. Great stuff and i hope there'll be more coming out from them soon.

Label: Bella Union
Cat.nr.: BELLAV 289
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Winter Beats
02. Hearts
03. Wired
04. I Kill Your Love, Baby!

SIDE B:
01. Pulse
02. Cancer
03. Load Your Eyes
04. Empty Bottles
05. No Way Outro

Isis - Panopticon [12", 2LP]

PANOPTICON is to my opinion the best album by the mighty ISIS. On vinyl, it came out both on Trust No One Recordings with the same artwork as the Ipecac CD in the fall of 2004, and on Robotic Empire with alternative artwork a few months later. I have a copy of that version; of the 4th press / 400 on blue, from 2007 to be exact. I could listen to this album for hours in a row without getting bored. Excellent stuff.

Label: Robotic Empire
Cat.nr.: Robo-041
Year of release: 2007 (originally released 2005)

SIDE A:
01. So Did We
02. Backlit

SIDE B:
01. In Fiction
02. Wills Dissolve

SIDE C:
01. Syndic Calls
02. Altered Course

SIDE D:
01. Grinning Mouths

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Say No To Love [7"]

Another nice single by THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART from their Belong album: SAY NO TO LOVE. Just like the other ones from that album, it's on coloured vinyl.
And Lost Saint on the B-side is actually one of my favourite TPOBPAH songs.

Label: Slumberland Records / Fortuna Pop
Cat.nr.: SLR 120 / FPOP 96
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01 Say No To Love

SIDE B:
01. Lost Saint

A Place To Bury Strangers - Ego Death 2010 Tour EP [12"]

This EGO DEATH 2010 TOUR EP by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS is a pretty much sought after release. I was fortunate enough to buy one recently (2012) at an APTBS show, so i don't know if there has been a re-press or if this is a copy they still had lying around. Anyway, a nice EP with besides Ego Death in 3 versions (one of them by Baroness' Allan Blickle), some non-album tracks and a remix of the title track of the album where the single's taken from: Exploding Head.

It does not really show on the picture above, but the vinyl colour is olive green. Pretty dark, but if you hold it against the light it looks like this:

Label: Mute

Cat.nr.: -

Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:

01. Ego Death (Radio Edit)

02. It's A Fast Drivin' Rave-Up With A Place To Bury Strangers

03. Alive

04. You Still Love Me

SIDE B:

01. Ego Death (Allen Blickle Remix)

02. Exploding Head (RX Remix)

03. Ego Death (Figo Remix)

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Blues From A Gun [12"]

BLUES FROM A GUN is a single that's taken from JESUS AND MARY CHAIN's Automatic album. B-sides Shimmer and Penetration later ended up on their Sound Of Speed compilation album a few years later, whereas Subway was only re-released for the first time a couple of years ago on the The Power Of Negative Thinking boxset. A great bunch of tracks altogether on this EP.

Label: Blanco Y Negro
Cat.nr.: NEG4IT
Year of release: 1989

SIDE A:
01. Blues From A Gun

SIDE B:
01. Shimmer
02. Penetration
03. Subway